アルゴリズムとの闘い　中国の料理宅配ライダーたちの苦境

【北京ＡＦＰ＝時事】ほかほかの料理を予約時間ぴったりに届け、中国の料理宅配大手「美団」のアプリで配達完了ボタンを意気揚々とタップした配達員のチュアン・チェンファさんは、次の瞬間、報酬の半分を罰金として没収されてしまった。アプリの不具合で配達時間に遅刻したと誤って記録されてしまい、自動的に罰金が科されたのだ。（写真は中国・北京で、配達前に整列する料理宅配大手「美団」の配達員ら）
　チュアンさんはこのアプリのシステムについて、活況を呈する料理宅配業界においてさえ企業が労働者を搾取するさまざまな手法の一つだと指摘する。
　中国当局は料理宅配業者の取り締まりを強化しており、美団や電子商取引（ＥＣ）大手アリババ（阿里巴巴）傘下のＥｌｅ．ｍｅといった業者に対し、適切な報酬の支払いや保険加入などの基本的な労働者保護を確立するとともに、危険運転の助長につながっているアプリのアルゴリズムを是正するよう求めている。
　だが、ＡＦＰの取材に応じた十数人の配達員は、現場ではほとんど何も変わっていないと訴えた。
　チュアンさんによると、予約時間に間に合うよう配達を完了するためには「猛スピードで走ったり、（中略）赤信号を無視したり、道を逆走したり」する以外に方法がない場合が多い。当初は距離２キロまでの注文１件につき４０～５０分が割り当てられていた配達時間は、今は３０分しか与えられないという。
　新型コロナウイルス流行とそれに伴うロックダウン（都市封鎖）によって、料理宅配サービスの需要は急増した。中国飯店協会によれば、今や市場規模は６６４０億元（約１１兆８０００億円）に上る。
　迅速な配達を約束する中で、配達時間の短縮が事故につながるケースが近年増えている。

■命を危険にさらす配達員たち
　政府統計によると中国では、インターネットを通じて単発業務を請け負う「ギグエコノミー」と呼ばれる働き方に従事する人は、全労働人口の約４分の１を占める。約２億人が「フレキシブルな雇用関係」を結んでいることになる。
　チュアンさんは、配達のルートと時間を決めるアプリのアルゴリズムのせいで、多くの配達員が命の危険を感じていると話す。定刻を過ぎると配達員には「遅配」のペナルティーが科される。
　別の配達員は、アプリが定める配達時間には調理に要する時間も含まれており、配達員本人にはどうにもできない部分で生じた遅延によって報酬を減らされる場合があるとＡＦＰに語った。
　６億２８００万人の顧客を抱える美団は、配達時間を４通りの方法で算出し、そのうち最長の時間を選んだ上で余裕を持たせて配達員に提示していると説明。配達員は科された不当な罰金には異議申し立てができると主張している。
　北京のコンサルタント会社トリビアムのケンドラ・シェーファー氏は、宅配プラットフォームが配達員に割り当てる条件や報酬を決定する仕組みに透明性が欠けている点が深刻な問題だと指摘。「アルゴリズムは効率性の最大化を目指すものだ。残念ながら、社会が進化する中で、アルゴリズムは人間を犠牲にして効率性を最大化することが明らかになってきた」と語った。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/11/12-19:01）

Handing over a piping hot meal at exactly the time promised, Chinese food delivery driver Zhuang Zhenhua triumphantly tapped his job as complete through the Meituan app -- and was immediately fined half of his earnings.
A glitch meant it inaccurately registered him as being late and he incurred an automatic penalty -- one of many ways, he said, delivery firms exploit millions of workers even as the sector booms.
Authorities have launched a crackdown demanding firms including Meituan and Alibaba's Ele.me ensure basic labour protections such as proper compensation, insurance, as well as tackling algorithms that effectively encourage dangerous driving.
But more than a dozen drivers told AFP there has been little change on the ground.
Often the only way to complete orders on time is to go really fast... speed past red lights, drive on the wrong side of the road, Zhuang said.
At the beginning, (the app allocated) 40 to 50 minutes to complete an order -- now for an order within a distance of two kilometres, with the same distance and time as before, we are given 30 minutes, he explained.
The coronavirus pandemic and resulting lockdowns sent demand for meal delivery services soaring: the sector is now worth 664 billion yuan ($100 billion), according to a report from the China Hospitality Association.
The nation's competitive app-based services have expanded into nearly every aspect of modern life, with digital-savvy consumers used to instantaneous service and fast delivery due to a ready flow of cheap labour.
But after years of unrestricted growth, China's Big Tech is coming under fire from Beijing with Tencent, Didi and Meituan all targeted over anti-monopoly rules.
Earlier this year, Alibaba was fined a record $2.8 billion after an investigation found it had abused its dominant market position.
- Lives at risk -
There is mounting public concern over the amount of data handled by popular apps, including food delivery platforms, and Chinese authorities have directed the cyberspace watchdog to look at how algorithms are used by tech conglomerates.
Shortened delivery times have also caused more accidents in recent years, amid promises of swift service.
Globally, the sector is facing scrutiny over its treatment of predominantly freelance workers, who endure low pay, few employee rights, and are often hired through agencies to avoid providing benefits.
China's gig economy now accounts for almost one quarter of its workforce -- 200 million people are in flexible employment, according to government figures.
The plight of food delivery and truck drivers caught public attention after little compensation was offered to the family of one courier who died delivering meals for Ele.me in Beijing, and a second set himself on fire in a dispute with the firm over pay.
Despite being hailed as an essential service, particularly at the height of the pandemic, drivers earn just 7,700 yuan a month on average.
Zhuang said many feel they are putting their lives at risk because of algorithms used by apps to determine the route and travel time allowed before drivers incur a late delivery penalty.
Another rider, who gave his surname as Liu, told AFP that the allocated delivery time included the period it took for the food to be prepared, something beyond his control but that could impact his pay.
If there are delays, riders take the blame, the 40-year-old said, adding that the system made it hard to reject orders from slow merchants.
It's useless to complain, said rider Chen Mingqiang, 50.
- 'Nobody wants to pay' -
Meituan, which has more than 628 million users, said it calculates the time needed for a journey in four ways and allocates the longest from those options and includes a buffer.
In a written statement, the firm insisted such decisions were made considering rider safety as the first priority, and also to satisfy consumers' needs and that drivers could contest unfair fines.
Last month, after China's cyberspace regulator outlined plans for tighter controls on tech companies, Meituan said it would optimise its algorithm strategy and roll out greater allowances to help couriers avoid dangerous work conditions.
Kendra Schaefer, at Beijing-based consultancy Trivium, said a lack of transparency on how platforms were coded to determine driver requirements and compensation was a serious issue.
An algorithm is intended to maximise efficiency, unfortunately as we're finding as society modernises, algorithms maximise efficiency at the expense of humans, she said.
Everybody wants drivers to get treated better but nobody wants to pay for it.
The sector relies heavily on migrant workers -- who are often low-skilled and have come to cities from rural provinces in the hope of making money.
For many, there are few employment alternatives.
Zhuang conceded: If I had the choice, I definitely wouldn't work as a delivery driver. It's a dangerous job, with high risk.